ecommerce

E-commerce is not the future; it is the present. At some point, We all have bought something and paid online. Wasn’t the experience hassle-free? I am sure you nod your head yes. So, as online shopping is convenient for customers, is it the same for the sellers? Well, it’s yes and no. Let’s address the no first.

As far as running an e-commerce store is concerned, it has its highs & lows. Sellers face issues with inventory management, store optimization, handling orders, returns, and much more. But, when it comes to getting paid, the quickest way to receive payments is through payment merchants. As a seller, you receive money instantly in your account, and having a payment merchant onboard has many perks, which we will discuss later.

You can find many merchant service providers that offer a vast range of services and solutions to different businesses, including the best merchant accounts for CBD. They cater to many business needs, either small-online enterprises or big names like Marriott.

Types of payment gateways

Hosted Payment Gateways

Hosting payment gateways or redirects involve sending customers to another website to complete their payment. It is simple to set up and is popular with small businesses. This payment method is easy to accept.

Checkout On-Site, Payment Offsite

The payment is made on a redirect site but gets processed on the merchant site. Similar to redirect, this option offers simplicity at the expense of customization.

On-Site Payment Gateways

Larger companies that are ready for a big responsibility; use on-site payment systems. The payment and processing of all transactions take place on your server. You and your team handle everything. 

Types of products and services

Such payment merchants offer a wide array of products and services to facilitate as many businesses as possible, regardless of the size.

Merchant accounts: due to their strong network and ample resources, they can handle all sorts of transactions and free businesses from the back-end processing.

Credit card terminals: they also offer credit card terminals. Perhaps, their pricing is not available for those who want to purchase it outright because every client is dealt with differently.

Wireless terminals: these devices make the payment processing features of credit card terminals feasible. For a complete point-of-sale (POS) system to function, these terminals accept magstripe, EMV, and NFC-based payments.

Payment gateway: for e-commerce businesses, there are two gateways; both are integrated platforms and support in-person and online payments.

Virtual terminal: there is a possibility of using a virtual terminal with these services and ease off your operations.

Mobile processing: in order to cater to all the customer needs and help sellers to grow their businesses, these services support mobile processing as well.

POS systems: you can also receive a full-fledged POS system for retailers and a specialized version for other businesses like restaurants.

Shopping carts: there are different shopping carts available for online merchants to integrate into their stores. All the known shopping carts are available, including Shift4Shop, BigCommerce, and UltraCart.

Customer portal: apart from all the products, there is a facility of customer portal that helps in online reporting, including transactions, chargeback, and funding.

Pro and cons of a payment merchant

Pro: Speaking of the range of products, merchants offer multiple solutions to both sellers and customers. These solutions are beneficial to both small and big businesses belonging to various industries.

Cons

  • There is still a need for transparency in pricing. Although the prices are listed, there is no information about the costs and their margins.
  • Usually, these payment merchants ask for long-term contracts. It is considered a red flag for potential sellers.
  • A website can’t offer every option to every customer. In the end, you should narrow down the choices your customers like the most.

Bottom line

Payment merchants promised highly and grew exponentially because of their offerings and multiple payment gateways. These services are inevitable for businesses, particularly e-commerce stores. They add value to the business outlook and provide a seamless experience to all the parties involved in a transaction. 

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